It’s a new year and that means it’s time for a New Year’s Resolution. I had such an awesome time researching the bourbon culture for you last year that I thought I’d put together a bourbon bucket list for you. These are some of the best things for a bourbon lover to do, and if you haven’t yet checked these off your list it’s time to get started.
1. If you love bourbon and you haven’t yet attended and graduated from the Filson Bourbon Academy [4], 2015 is your year. Click here [5] for my review.
2. The Bourbon Classic [6] keeps growing and changing, and 2015 is going to be an awesome year. There are panels, guest speakers, and Master Distillers, as well as bourbon tastings and a cocktail competition.
3. Distillery Tours give you an opportunity to see how and where the magic of bourbon happens. Each tour affords you the opportunity to learn a different bourbon dynasty’s story, so grab a Kentucky Bourbon Trail [7] passport and get going.
4. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival [8] is Bardstown is a weeklong party celebrating bourbon’s rich and unique heritage.
5. Mike Veach’s Cave Hill Tour [9] is a fundraiser for the Cave Hill Heritage Foundation [10], but it’s also a unique opportunity to learn the history of Louisville’s bourbon families.
6. The Legends Series [11] at the Kentucky Derby Museum features a new industry legend at each event. This year’s Legends will include Harlen Wheatley, Bill Samuels, and Mike Veach. Click here [12] to read my review of the last event with Jimmy Russell.
7. The Kentucky Bourbon Affair [13] will celebrate its second year after a smashingly successful inaugural year full of one-of-a-kind bourbon events.
8. The Filson Bourbon Salon at Oxmoor [14] explores different topics in the area of bourbon. Click here [15] for my review of the Bourbon Dynasties session and look for Remembering Stitzel-Weller on January 21.
9. As locals we often forget the Urban Bourbon Trail [16] is there for us year-round. Grab a passport and check out one of the 37 or so bars that make Louisville THE travel destination for bourbon lovers. I'll be at Haymarket Whiskey Bar [17].
10. Moonshine University [18]’s Bourbon Enthusiast Class is a day-long grain-to-bottle bourbon experience. You won’t be a full Master Distiller after this course, but you will be intimately familiar with the entire bourbon making process. Click here [19] for the 2015 schedule.
There are many more things to check off your bourbon bucket list, but these are the ten things you really need to do in 2015. If you have suggestions for next year’s list, tweet me @LouGirl502 [20]!
Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl